The proportion of good knowledge of glaucoma was 68.9%(61.16, 75.86). This finding is higher than reports from Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia (49.6%)(17), Addis Ababa, Capital of Ethiopia (12.1%)(26). This might be due to the differences in educational status. In the Gondar study about 32.7% had no formal education as compared to 16.6% in this study. This finding is also higher than reports from Nigeria, Ebonyi State (6.7%)(18), Nepal (5.5%)(27), (1.18%)(28), Tehran, Iran(19.2%)(25), urban India, Chennai (0.5%)(16), Puducherry (34%)(19) and rural India (1.89%)(24). This might be due to the differences in educational status. About 14.9%(27) and 12%(16) as compared to 37.2% of adults in this study completed higher education. Previous studies described educational status as the true predictor of knowledge(15-17). This might be also due to age differences among the study participants: 48 years(17), 54 years(16) and 48 years(27) as compared 28 years in this study. This might be due to younger adults might attend different medical blogs due to their exposure to mass media and internet which in turn helps them to improve their understanding of the nature of disease.
This might be also due to the difference in proportion of adults who had history of eye examination (31%)(19) as compared to 53.8% in this study. Previous studies support history of eye examination were directly associated with good knowledge of glaucoma(10, 12, 17).
In this study, adults with higher educational status were positively associated with good knowledge of glaucoma. This was supported by other studies(15-17). This might be due to the fact that educated adults have multiple sources of information (mass media, internet, professionals, reading, training etc) which helps them to google out and acquire knowledge of glaucoma than those adults without education. This might be also most of the time books, literatures, articles, posters and even messages transferred by Ophthalmological Society of Ethiopia/OSE through mobile numbers which describes the condition were written in English which means only educated individuals can understand and improve their knowledge of the disease.
Adults in the age group between 18-22 were associated with good knowledge of glaucoma. This might be due to this portion of adults have greater exposure of mass media and internet and follow different blogs of medical activities which in turn helps them to acquire some knowledge of glaucoma than those older individuals.
Eye examination were another important determinant of knowledge of glaucoma. This was supported with different studies(10, 12, 17). This might be due to adults coming for eye examination might attend health education programs and inquire directly the physician which intern helps to improve their understanding of the disease.
Higher level of income was positively associated with good knowledge of glaucoma. This was supported with different studies(20-22). This might be due to adults with better income would help them to seek medical attention easily and this portion of participants may have health insurance.
In previous studies, sex(10, 16, 18) were controversial and this was not also supported within this study. According to previous studies, type of occupation(medical profession)(10, 20), positive family history of glaucoma(16, 18, 19) and positive glaucoma status(16) were positively associated with better knowledge of glaucoma. However, these were not supported with in this study. This might be due to there was no adults with medical professionals in this study and glaucoma status was not also associated because of small number of cases or adults with positive history of glaucoma (1.7%) in this study.